8-Bit Adventures 2 PlayStation 5 Review

8-Bit Adventures 2 is a turn-based RPG developed by Critical Games AU. Last year when this game launched on PC, it was an absolute joy of an experience that never ran out of surprises or thrills. With a simple to understand, and fun to experiment with combat system. As well as a world that is very fleshed out and varied throughout. It was a game I thought would not be able to keep its grip on me in a second playthrough. But when I was able to sit down and go through it again on the PlayStation 5, there were some elements of the game that gripped me harder than others, making for an interesting revisit that I still recommend wholeheartedly.

Developer & Publisher // Critical Games AU, Ratalaika Games
Platforms // Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4|5, Nintendo Switch, PC
MSRP & Release Date // $19.99, October 16th, 2024
Reviewed On // PlayStation 5

A Classical Journey

The story of 8-Bit Adventures 2 is one that is rooted in the nostalgic classics of old. A medieval fantasy that, without breaking immersion, also features many science fiction elements that feel sensical and elevate the narrative. It features a menacing Glitch that threatens all of existence while focusing on the many characters of its cast. Such as the classical Warrior, Thief, and Mage. While also having a blind martial artist named Emma, an eager-for-adventure rogue named Charlie, and a robot that hales from the inner machinations of the setting.

But it is not just a simple “beat the bad guy” plot, there are many elements of its story that help it stand out. The Glitch’s backstory is fully fleshed out to the point of being sympathetic, even though the character is not empathetic. With the budding romance of Charlie and Emma throughout to show the future you’re fighting for. There’s even a story revolving around a mysterious samurai that reflects on the senselessness of war and what it costs.

The journey is also filled with many little thrilling sequences. Such as a section where you run inside and atop train cars to avoid soldiers shooting at you. As well as having to save citizens of a town being destroyed by a bombardment from airships. There is never really a dull moment in 8-Bit Adventures 2, with no time wasted, even in encounters and traversal between areas.

Powerful Customization and Abilities in 8-Bit Adventures 2

The combat in 8-Bit Adventures 2 is the standard turn-based affair. This means you and the enemy will take turns hitting each other until one side is left standing. But there is an element of fairness to the combat. Stats such as attack, defense, and agility all have their own bonuses that play into how well you fair while leveling. With each zone upping the ante to the point where the ultimate gear feels like it only matches enemies in the endgame. But the augments and accessories allow for a level of customization that takes what you become familiar with and takes it to crazy heights.

To give a brief overview of the characters, the Warrior has the ability to use varied levels of strength for his attack, which boosts damage and critical chance but can also make him miss more. Charlie can hit multiple foes at once with his attacks. One build I used for the Warrior involved an augment that boosted his health tremendously and gave him a higher chance to hit attacks while drawing enemy attention to himself with an evasion buff that lasted for 3 turns. Creating a powerful tank that can use his heaviest attack to deal a lot of damage consistently while being nearly unkillable for a time.

Meanwhile, with Charlie, there is an accessory called “opening gambit” that offers no unique stat bonuses but allows him to deal significantly more damage for his first turn in an encounter. In encounters with multiple enemies, I would swap him in to attack two foes at once, then change him out for the Mage to clean up the rest. The augments also allow for nullifying certain status effects on a character. One in particular that nullifies all status effects you can be hit with, such as blind, mute, or paralysis, I gave to the robot to ensure he can always use his healing equipment in a pinch as they cost nothing to use for him.

But there are two elements of the combat that take the cake. One being the group abilities that allow two- or three-party members to spend their MP together to unleash unique attacks. Like a healing spell between the Warrior and Thief, or the Warrior, Thief and Mage creating a flaming sword for the Warrior and dealing massive damage to a foe, while lowering their defenses. When used multiple times in one turn, it can make bosses into a joke. I loved how far I could take the build crafting in this game the second time around.

Less Grind, With a Dash of Excellent Variety

Unlike many other turn-based games, 8-Bit Adventures 2 is not about the grind but more about the journey. There are no random encounters, and the number of encounters you do face along the way will get you to the highest levels without grinding away. I have 33 hours in the PlayStation 5 version and have mostly everything accomplished. Throughout that long journey, however, the variety of enemies and bosses always constantly surprised and delighted me. Especially with how some are presented, like a smiling crocodile that wants to slowly kill you while promising treasure, or dead soldiers that sacrifice themselves to turn into another ghastly form.

In one early section of the game where you only have Emma and Charlie, you will traverse a cavern with different types of foes. The cave has torches that light up certain spots of the area that if you lure enemies to, you will have a normal fight, but if you do not, they will be shrouded, and you will barely be able to hit them. Bosses can have similar mechanics. This includes a nightmare worm that can invoke moves from past bosses to deal massive damage to party members. However, there is a quirk of having to keep track of which party member it targeting to ensure they are blocking to survive that singular hit. Bosses in 8-Bit Adventures 2 are consistently offering new and unique challenges that kept me on my toes.

But the variety does not end there, as there is a very cool game mode where you can be in an airship to take down other airships. The rules are clear, and simple, fire from the red squares for most damage output or run to yellow to lower the damage you take. 8-Bit Adventures 2 even offers different stages of difficulty to take on, but they never felt too challenging. Especially the hardest one you can take on. I think if the enemy HP grew with the difficulty, it would require more thought. Just like the rest of the enemies in the game.

But outside of the original offerings for the main journey in 8-Bit Adventures 2, there were some cool new content additions that offered a new level of challenge, with some fun as well.

Challenging Post-Launch and Endgame Content

After 8-Bit Adventures 2 launched, there were some cool new content updates to the game that will be included in the console version. There is the addition of a world map that you naturally acquire and can use to understand where certain places are, as well as a fun April Fool’s Day boss fight that takes a ton of strategy to take down.

In addition to all of this, there are also new enhanced versions of past bosses you can track down across the world to fight. Each boss that you hunt down and finish off once and for all will give you pieces of a weapon to craft to take on a superboss. In both of my playthroughs of the game, I made the mistake of not taking advantage of side content that these new bosses felt similar to.

Before starting the final section of the game, if you go into your airship, you can talk to your party members to unlock missions for various locations you could not originally go to. These new locations either offer cool boss fights to take down for unique ultimate equipment or offer some closure for certain characters. Like Emma getting to go to her grandfather’s grave and Charlie getting to confront someone from his past. These are optional and missable because I never realized I could go in my airship and interact with an onboard vendor and rest in beds below deck. Nullifying the need to use for inns or other vendors, it’s a small feature that does so much, and I never realized I could take advantage of it like this.

Suffice it to say, but this second playthrough made me appreciate the game much more than the first. But it also pointed out a few features that could’ve been made clearer. Such as the airship interior, and the airship battles feeling less challenging than I’d like.

Nearly Pristine Condition

In my second playthrough of 8-Bit Adventures 2, I encountered a few issues that I did not have in the PC version. The issues I found in my original review of the game however were never found again thankfully. But some interesting new ones arise, such as rare crashes in scene transitions in moments I cannot spoil, the music in combat cutting out after a character’s Omega burst, or limit break-like ability, played. As well as one nasty game-breaking issue, where in one section of the game where you engage with the Samurai storyline, you can get stuck in one direction after the robot bursts through a gate. This direction prevents you from interacting above you which locks progression.

The developer is aware of these issues and is working on a fix for now. But if you experience any issue like this if you pick the game up, make sure to take advantage of reverting to your auto save to keep playing.

Finally, when it comes to the game’s presentation, attention to detail, and music, one small detail I really appreciated was the fact the game will not let you open chests unless you are in front of them. It’s a small touch that lets interaction in the game’s world feel realistic.

The game’s music is also very retro and awesome at times. General boss theme music being my favorite as it has different sections that maintains the tension. But the overworld and airship themes feel hopeful and invoke a feeling of freedom.

Closing Thoughts on 8-Bit Adventures 2’s PlayStation 5 Version

Overall, my second playthrough of 8-Bit Adventures 2 made me appreciate the game more while feeling at home on the PlayStation 5. It also made me realize some issues that definitely warrant a second look, with some issues in the experience that bizarre at times. But when it comes to the overall experience on console or PC, it is still one worth experiencing, not just once but multiple times. The level of customization for characters strikes a balance of mastery and fairness, with an excellent variety of enemies, bosses, and game modes.

Its nostalgic presentation is not rooted in old-school trappings of grind or frustration, making it easily recommendable for those who are seeking an easy-to-pick-up turn-based experience that will keep you engaged with its gripping human narrative and immersive world.

Final Score: 9.0/10

Pros

• Fantastic Storytelling
• Excellent Enemy and Boss Variety
• Wonderful Buildcrafting
• Expansive World
• No Tedious Grinding
• Great Music

Cons

• A Game Breaking Bug
• Random Crashes
• Lack of Airship Battle Difficulty